Re: CULT: Iris Borer

From: Dennis Kramb <dkramb@badbear.com>
According to my father, Grandma's old trick was to cut the foliage down to
2" tall in early October and throw away the cut leaves. The borer moths
will fly elsewhere to find a place to lay their eggs.
> Hi Iris Friends A little advice needed for the novice from those of
>you unfortunate enough to be experienced with this little devil, the iris
>borer. I discovered, dug and disposed of 4 large trash bags full of
>infected rhizomes {groan} and now, before I put my precious newbies in
>the ground, would like to know what, if anything can/should be done to
>the soil to treat it, in case any of those foul foragers should still be
>lurking. I understand the life cycle story of the borer, and that from
>here on out I should be looking for pupae and disposing (in the fall) of
>dead foliage. But I'm wondering, in case any larvae remain, if there's
>anything I should be doing to keep them from my new (and salvaged)
>rhizomes, other than avoiding that part of the bed altogether. Thanks
>in advance, for your input. Mary Blatz Skaneateles, NY (near
>Syracuse) USDA Zone 5
Dennis Kramb; dkramb@badbear.com
Cincinnati, Ohio USA; USDA Zone 6; AIS Region 6
member of AIS, ASI, HIPS, SIGNA, SLI, & Miami Valley Iris Society
primary interests: ABs, REBs, LAs, Native SPEC and SPEC-X hybrids
(my gardening URL: http://www.badbear.com/dkramb/home.html)
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